Conventional scanned light beam systems, such as those adapted to function as bar code scanners, are available from Microvision, Inc. of Redmond, Wash.
An example of an endoscope application of a medical scanned laser beam imager is given in US Patent Application Publication 2005/0020926. The scanned laser beam imager includes a two-dimensional MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) scanner. The MEMS scanner is a dual-resonant-mirror scanner. The mirror scanner scans, about substantially orthogonal first and second axes, one or more light beams (such as light beams from red, green and blue lasers) through an optical dome at high speed in a pattern that traces a trajectory in a two-dimensional acquisition coordinate system. The scanned laser beam imager uses at least one light detector in creating a pixel image from the measured reflectance of the reflected light for display on a monitor.
US Patent Application Publication 2005/0020926 also discloses that light sources having therapeutic properties may be used in the medical scanned laser beam imager for treatment such as a high-powered infrared light source which may be used to cauterize.
What is needed is an improved scanned beam device and an improved method which uses a scanned beam device.